HIGH COURT

1. 1
The Bombay High Court
A Conservation Story
Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt. Ltd

3. The Bombay High Court
A Conservation Story
A report of restoration and repair works
2012-2019
Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt. Ltd
Bldg. No. 8, 2nd Floor, Rajbahadur Mansion,
Ambalal Doshi MargBehind Bombay Stock Exchange
Fort, Mumbai 400023
Email: info@savaniheritage.com, savaniheritage@gmail.com
Phone: 022 22615442 / 022 2261 5445
+91 93245 46378

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Introduction
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the
idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful
piece of art.
Heritage conservation can be one profession that can draw direct analogies with this Japanese art
form. The profession does not look at an old, broken, derelict or defunct building as a loss. It instead
looks at it as an opportunity to make a piece of art that is even better than the original work.
The multiple, eccentric, eclectic identities that are attached to the metropolis of Mumbai, deep
down owe a lot to the colonial heritage of the city. Mumbai today represents a pot-pourri of cul-
tures, languages, professions, passions and identities. An administrative boundary that stretches
from Colaba to Borivali; a linear 50km geographical extent that once began as a humble group of
small seven islands.
The city could be perceived as futuristic due to its fast paced glamour, technology and an econ-
omy fuelled lifestyle. The city’s identity is also reflected in form of the physical enclosures of the co-
lonial buildings like museums, gymkhanas, public buildings, urban planning schemes and under the
intangible elements of etiquettes, discipline and habits of the people.
Though opposite, both identities exist and both matter. With the growing trends of gentrification,
exposure to it’s historicity, concept of interdisciplinary exchanges, conservation has become an
important piece in the puzzle of the city’s imageability. Heritage conservation, preservation and
restoration is helping in building an identity for Mumbai.
A strong believer of ‘जीर्णोद्धारक’ (In Sanskrit means ‘Restoring the lost Glory’.), Savani Constructions
has played an important role in this image building exercise. With 27 years of experience in country
wide conservation projects, we strive hard to bring about a balance between the traditional meth-
ods and skills of building along with modern technology.
We have contributed in restoring the lost glory of the original city core by being conservation con-
tractors for important buildings like The Bombay high court, The Mumbai university convocation hall,
Rajabai tower, the Times of India building, the HSBC building, the Asiatic library, the CSMVS museum,
the St. Thomas Cathedral, the Afghan church to name a few.
Amongst the beautiful High Gothic buildings that parade along the Oval maidaan, The Bombay
High Court holds a special place in the profile of the company. Being one of the most expensive
projects of it’s time, the challenges and rewards of this building have been unique. This compila-
tion records the conservation efforts (ongoing) that we along with the conservation architects, M/s
Abha Narain Lambah architects conducted from 2012-2019.

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History and Architecture
From 1668 to 1715, the British East India Com-
pany had set base here. The first two gov-
ernors of Mumbai took massive measures in
populating the city. They built a port for 20
ships, warehouses, a custom house, a mint
complete with fortification. They began
encouraging people to popoulate Bombay.
With their efforts, the population of the island
increased six fold in a span of 7 years. By
1854, with the advent of mills, civil war, and
the political transfer of power from East India
company to the crown, Bombay boomed
economically.
It was amidst this economic boom that the
then Governor, Sir Bartle Frere, decided to
demolish the fortified walls. The town had
been under constant threat of fire and dis-
ease. Tearing down the walls would also al-
low better accessibility for trade, commerce
and more immigrants, further booming econ-
omy. Once the walls were pulled down, parts
of the sea reclaimed, land was available for,
infrastructure, housing and public develop-
ment. This was the ‘New town’ or popularly
addressed as the ‘Frere town’.
Today, buildings like The Public Works Depart-
ment, The Bombay High Court, The Bombay
University, The Rajabai tower, along the Oval,
were once a fortification! These and many
more, beautiful, European flavoured build-
ings dedicated to justice, learnings, finance,
health, hospitality, communication, transport
and trade, indeed made Bombay the Urbs
Prima of India (the First city of India)in line with
Governor Frere’s dream.
View of the Bombay High Court from the Oval Maidaan, 1911.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:127th_Baluchis,_Bombay_1911.jpg

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Left:
A map of the Bombay Fort
with the fortifications, the
esplanade, trenches, docks
before the Frere town was
conceptualised, represented
in late 1800s.
Source:
By The British Library
No restrictions,
via Wikimedia Commons
Right:
A map of Governor Frere’s
dream of Urbs’ Prima of India.
The city no longer has fortifi-
cations.
Source:
By Constable
Public Domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

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The Bombay High Court
M/s Savani Constructions bagged the oppor-
tunity to work on restoration and conservation
works for ‘The Bombay High Court’ building
in 2011. The works were undertaken under
the able guidance of heritage conservation
architect Abha Narain Lambah Associates,
Shashank Mehendale Associates and the
Public Works Department, Maharashtra.
The building is located along the Karam-
veer Bhaurao Patil Marg. To the north of the
building stands the Public Works department
building, to the south lies the Bombay univer-
sity building. The rear facades of buildings of
HSBC bank and Standard Charted bank flank
the east.
This English Gothic revival building was de-
signed by Col. James Augustus Fuller in 1871-
1878. It is 562 feet in length by 187 in breadth.
The Central staircase feature is 178 ½ feet
in height. It was completed at a cost of Rs.
16,44,528 and is considered to be one of the
most expensive buildings built at that time.
Architecture
Inspired by a German castle, it is built in
roughly dressed shallow courses of dark ba-
salt, punctuated by soft Porbunder stone and
enhanced in places by red sandstone and
buffed basalt. The building is capped with
sloping timber roofs and dormer windows. The
building is balanced by towering staircases
spires, delicate lancet arches and balusters
that lace the corridors.
plete with a teak wood gallery for the public.
The building also houses functions like judges’
library, a bar council room, a public library, a
canteen, eight additional staircases and lifts,
a central lift and toilet blocks.
The perception of grandeur and power of
the building is subdued by the thoughtful
placements of two ornamental sculptures. The
judges’ staircases are capped with sculpted
figures of a blindfolded lady with a sword and
a balance- Justice and the other lady with
folded palms in prayer - Mercy.
There are two parts to this linear building- a
public side that runs along the eastern length
and the judge’s side that extends along the
western length of the building. The judges’
entry has a large entrance porch flanked by
two octagonal spiral staircases overlooking
the Oval maidaan. The key element along
the public side is the large central open well
staircase with a skylight on top.
The courtrooms and judges’ chambers are
located in the core of the building. The finest
courtroom is located on the second and the
third floors of the central tower. It is top lit via
lancet windows, paved mosaic flooring, com-
The Bombay High Court Building.
Source: By The National Archives UK, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

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Public Works Department Building
To the north of the High Court lies the Public
Works Department or the P.W.D building
which is currently taken over by the Bom-
bay High Court and houses court offices.
Designed by Wilkins, the P.W.D building
played a huge role in the construction of
new buildings of Frere town. The building
has a remarkable double-steepled roof,
facing the north, and beautiful Venetian
balconies, surrounded by corridors with
lancet arches. It is built using the same dark
basalt, which makes it easier to be an inte-
gral part of the High court premise today.
An eastern extension, was constructed in
1909 for the high court building, that is sym-
pathetic in style and use of materials and
does not obstruct the ornamental western
facaade of the Bombay High court.
Unlike most of the old buildings in the world,
High court building has been a functional
environment since its construction till date.
A lot of the original Bombay-Gothic furni-
ture, fittings, details, elements are still in use
in the three the buildings, making the resto-
ration process slightly easy.
FLAT
TERRACE
FLAT
TERRACE
FLAT
TERRACE FLAT
TERRACE
FLAT
TERRACE
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
ROOF PLAN

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3. Lean to roofs that rest on these pitched
roofs that run throughout the perimeter of the
building covering the corridors.
4. Flat terraces that cover the staircase blocks
and lift blocks of the public corridors and a
large flat terrace above the judges’ entrance
porch.
The roof has had severe seepage through
the timber structural elements, into the load
bearing stone walls, damaging the building
in several places causing cracks, dampness,
leakage, water puddles, and structural dis-
tress.
Most of the flat terrace areas were en-
croached upon with water tanks, lift machine
rooms, electrical units, HVAC outdoor units etc
thus adding to the load of the slabs. There
were some make-do efforts undertaken to
repair these parts of the roof in the past, but
due to poor execution it aggravated the
damage to the terrace and the floor below.
The Bombay High Court building has survived
150 long years and yet stands tall. Chipped
floorings, dangling brass aldrops, missing cast
iron rails, leaky roofs, corroded sculpted fig-
ures, clogged gargoyles have lived to tell us
the tale of what grandeur the court was.
We at Savani Constructions, worked hard
on reviving the lost glory of what High court
was. The following sections reflect the quality
of work we put in to give the building its lost
identity and in the process fulfil our responsibil-
ity towards the city.
Project Name Conservation of The Bombay High Court
Heritage Status Grade IIA (Proposed Grade I)
Client Public Works Department, Government of
Maharashtra
User Department The Bombay High Court
Consultant - Conservation Architect Abha Narain Lambah Associates
Consultant – Structural Engineer Shashank Mahendale Associates
Contractor Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt. Ltd
Project Tenure 2011 - 2019
Phase 1 2011 – 2014
Phase 2 2014 - 2019
Building Condition & Challenges
Project Information
Condition Analysis, 2011
This project was commissioned to us in 2011
and the works continued up to 2019. Due to
the severity of damages in the building, we
conducted a variety of restoration works start-
ing from roofs, structural work of verandahs,
façade restoration, interiors works, toilets,
repair works of furniture, lift blocks, smaller utili-
ties like signages.
This chapter will discuss the condition of the
building when we first had a look into it.
Roof and terrace condition
The high court building broadly has four types
of roofs.
1. A roof of the central tower
2. A composition of pitched roofs that cov-
ers the core of the building- court rooms and
chambers, with dormer windows.
The lean to roof above the public corridors.

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These verandahs were covered with various
types of finishes, ranging from vitrified tiles,
ceramic tiles, terrazzo tiles along with original
encaustic tile (popularly known as Minton
flooring) flooring in some areas. This erratic
choice of material, caused a loss of the identi-
ty of the building.
Façade
The magnificence of the dark basalt of the
Bombay High Court was lost behind years of
dust, paint, erosion, chipped courses, missing
stone courses, poorly done pointing, exposed
services, water leakage and vegetation
growth. The decorative limestone details were
severely affected due to weathering and dust
accumulation.
The original timber and glass, double shut-
tered, multiple panelled doors too were in
poor condition. With missing fixtures, replaced
doors, missing ventilators, packed ventilators,
the charm of the façade was lost.
Verandahs
The building is surrounded by verandahs
along all four sides thus enveloping the court
rooms and judges’ chambers in the centre.
Severe structural distress, sinking of the floor
was observed at multiple places in these ve-
randahs.
The soiled facade of the building in process of cleaning.
A judges’ side corridor with mosaic cement tiles.
The above three images show damaged roof members
at multiple locations in the building.
Original Minton flooring in one of the corridors.

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Since the building is surrounded throughout
with corridors, the perimeter of these corridors
sums up nearly to 1 km. The Bombay Hight
Court, the P.W.D building and Annexe build-
ing all come together into one property of the
Bombay High Court thus stretching the build-
ing restoration boundaries.
A guarded monument
The building seats the Chief Justice of the
Bombay High court thus elevating the social,
judicial and political status of the building. A
lot of the dignitaries of the judicial system from
Mumbai, Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar
Haveli, Goa, use the campus throughout the
year. The 2008 terrorist attacks on the neigh-
bouring buildings, added further scare and
thus the premises are heavily guarded at all
times. This strict surveillance and scrutiny have
a huge implications on movement of labour
and material within the premises.
Challenges
The Bombay High Court is a Grade II A herit-
age structure (proposed Grade I). It is a Social
Monument along with being a fully functional
building. The challenges thus faced had solu-
tions hidden in time and space management
strategies. Considering the life of age of the
building; 150 years; a lot of the building details
had to be meticulously researched, discussed
and then restored.
It was critical for us to ensure that the restora-
tion works are executed in the right spirit and
manner within all heritage restoration norms. It
was our pursuit to make sure we maintain ab-
solute Visual, Structural and Material Authen-
ticity of the monument wherever possible.
A magnanimous building
The Bombay High Court is a massive four sto-
rey structure with each floor height of nearly
twice the height of regular storeys. A simple
physical reachability of ceilings was thus a
challenge.
Interiors
Since the building is public in nature, there
was a variety of public furniture in use. Alu-
minium and glass signage boards, types of
furniture, missing handrail sections, damaged
balusters etc further deteriorated the integrity
of the building.
Over the years, the Judges’ offices were
customised as per the user, thus bringing in
an inconsistency in the design, material and
colour palettes. Toilet blocks within the judges’
chambers had all the service pipes running
exposed through the verandahs of public
side.
A variety of lighting fixtures featured in the ve-
randahs of the building. The lift blocks, being
a much later addition seemed alien in the
heritage setting. Electrical wires, data cables,
erratic light fixtures, dusty walls, eclectic mix
of furniture, were causing visual chaos and
further killing the aesthetic experience of the
building. Though the building had decent and
fairly maintained exterior, the interior lacked
the historic character it deserved.
A damaged portion of interior wall.
The 24 by 7 vigilance by the Mumbai police on site.
A view of the pitched rood with dormer windows.

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usable by morning. It also had an impact on
the tender documents as we had to specify
and get approved the work schedule from
the involved authorities. Due permissions and
vigilance was also undertaken by the P.W.D
and the High Court during these awkward
work shifts.
A living site
In most of the old buildings we work in are
defunct, derelict, or largely unused. Very few
times do we get an opportunity to work on
old, living, functional buildings. And thus one
of the biggest challenges of working on this
project was that the Bombay High Court is a
functioning institution. It has a daily foot fall of
more than 1,00,000 people. Hence, shutting
down parts or entire structure, temporarily
moving the structure were not options at
hand.
The terraces are a non-public zone. But these
spaces were utilised for locating water stor-
age tanks, lift machine rooms, HVAC units
and other service equipment required for the
in the floors below. Bringing about any repair
works in these areas thus implicated in major
disruption to the daily functioning of the court.
This left us with an option of planning all the
works to the minutest detail that were to be
executed. So as to avoid any inconvenience
to the users, we had to make sure that the
works undertaken commenced and conclud-
ed at the promised time. This required plan-
ning in making available timely labour and
material.
All in nights shift!
Considering the fact that the High Court is a
fully functional building, the works had to be
undertaken only in the non-office hours- night
shifts, weekends and public holidays.
This meant that we had to train the labour
to work at odd hours and ensure the site is
Some images
showing the
quantum and
type of work un-
dertaken during
the night shifts.

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Timber Work
Material integrity has been our constant
pursuit in all the projects we have under-
taken. The Bombay High Court is built using
timber rafters, joists, beams, boardings, etc.
All the timber work was done using pure and
well-seasoned Burma Teak wood only. The
sections or samples of wood used in all these
areas and elsewhere was sent for periodic
testing to ensure best quality material is used.
Best efforts were made by our team to ensure
that maximum amount of the original wood is
salvaged and re-used on site. Any small sec-
tions of wood which were cut-out from large
deteriorated members but in good condition
would be re-used for non-structural works like
doors and window sections, furniture etc. with
the sole effort to maximise wood salvage on
site.
site investigations. Based on this, a detailed
approach plan was devised for the methodol-
ogy of the works to be executed.
To ensure best quality material we conducted
periodic testing from authorised agencies, We
also did multiple sampling works to replicate
the heritage finishes, patterns and designs.
The assembly or building was always a mindful
concluding step so as to ensure precise use of
technique and process.
Methodology & Planning
Methodology:
Since the Bombay High Court is a Grade II A
Heritage Structure and a Social Monument,
thus it was critical for us to ensure that the res-
toration works are executed in the right spirit
and manner.
We were constantly doing a back and forth
with the four aspects of the project
1. Dismantle
2. Investigate
3. Salvage and reuse
4. Assemble or build
We spent maximum amount of our time in
careful dismantling of any work we took up.
While dismantling lot of importance was given
to efficient storing and stacking of the materi-
al that was in good condition.
Careful dismantling allowed for the team and
the consultants to inspect and conduct on-
Finishing the timber rafters and stacking.
A group of workers dismantling a corridor slab. Stacking of new cement tiles on site.
Stacking of roof tile battens.

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site. Our team also made efforts to maintain
patches of original flooring wherever possible.
From restoring large structural works, exterior
façade restoration, to finer works like signag-
es, room number plaques, notice boards,
aldrops, door window details, all aspects of
the building were researched upon and inves-
tigated thoroughly.
A unique mindset and methodology thus had
to be adapted to complete the conservation
works at the Bombay High Court. In order to
make any building usable and liveable, the
first and foremost requirement is to ensure it
has no structural morbidities. After a thorough
initial research and documentation by the
team, it was decided to strengthen the build-
ing in phases.
tiles finished with the matching pattern inlaid
using pigments.
With inputs from consultants and cement tile
manufacturers, cement tiles were customised
for this project. Multiple samplings were done
to ensure that the tiles matched the colour,
design and size of the original. These too,
were sent for testing to government author-
ised testing labs before installing the same on
Stone Work
The stone work primarily included restoring
certain sections of the façade and its ele-
ments, railing members of arched openings
in verandahs etc. For this purpose, sections of
stone were carefully procured from across the
country to ensure that the new stone mem-
bers are of the same type and colour as the
original. These were then worked upon by
skilled craftsmen to replicate the exact design
and size as that of the original members found
on site.
Floor Finishes
Original Minton flooring was discovered in a
few places within the building. The company
that manufactured these tiles is now non-ex-
istent and thus sourcing similar floor tiles was
impossible. To match the design of the floor-
ing the consultants recommended cement
External facade restoration and pointing.
The original Minton flooring found in some areas.
A sparkling verandah floor post restoration.

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Phase III (Done as Extension of Phase II)
Interior upgradation
Interior upgradation of courts, the judges’
chambers and all pending civil, electrical,
structural, consolidation of slabs, acoustic &
furniture upgradation works were undertaken.
In the phase III, completing the final finishing
works in public corridors on all floors including
cleaning up of cables & wires, installation of
signages, visitor facilities etc.
Phase II 2014-2018
Structural works of north & south verandahs &
toilet upgradation.
All structural and interior works of the ve-
randahs on north and south side along with
public toilets .
Interior restoration works
All structural and interior works of the judges’
chambers.
Public Verandah Works
Restoration of doors, signages, notice boards,
reviving original water fountains, dado works
in the staircase blocks, cladding works of cen-
tral lift etc. were taken up to complete the
restoration works of the public verandahs.
Service upgradation works and Fire Fighting
measures (Taken up by P.W.D Electrical De-
partment)
Exterior facade restoration & building illumina-
tion
Façade restoration of the south and northern
facades of the building.
Roof restoration works of P.W.D building
Other works
The phase II involved the renovation of the
canteen, connecting corridor of annexe and
main building, security outposts and com-
pound wall.
Planning
There are 3 main phases proposed to restore
the High Court building in totality.
Phase I- 2011-2014
Roof restoration & terrace waterproofing
works
Restoration works of the lean-to roof section
on all four sides along with water proofing
works of the terraces adjacent to the same.
Structural works of verandah slabs
Due to budgetary limitations, the structural
restoration works of only eastern and western
sides of the ground & 1st floor was considered
in the original estimate. However, with the
pace and quality of work executed by us, the
High Court & P.W.D decided to take up struc-
tural consolidation works of 2nd & 3rd floor
verandah slabs as well.
Floor finishing works of verandahs
To live up with the original encaustic or Min-
ton flooring of the building, cement tiles with
matching patterns were to be fixed over the
R.C.C slab.
The original encaustic tile flooring was re-
tained & restored wherever possible.
Façade restoration works
The façade restoration works were limited
to the section above the porch on the judg-
es’ verandah facing the oval maidaan &
C-section walls behind the central lift in Public
corridor.

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The process
The process of all the work involved disman-
tling, inspecting, salvaging, and refixing, fue-
led by research and constant vigilance from
the consultants.
Roof Restoration
The process of roof restoration was began
by removing and dismantling the existing
mangalore tiles, waterproofing layers, the
teak wood boarding, rafters and purlins.
Once these were removed inspected and
sorted, the damaged rafters, purlins and
boardings were replaced with new members
using well-seasoned Burma teak wood to
match with the original. Wherever feasible,
the salvaged members were reused. Once
replaced, the layer of boarding and battens
were fixed, it was covered with waterproof-
ing layers of dungaree cloth, bitumen and
specially profiled G.I. sheets. A final layer of
horizontal battens were fixed above the G.I
sheeting before fixing the mangalore tiles.
Since most of the older mangalore tiles were
in good condition, these were cleaned and
fixed back. Wherever damaged, these too
were replaced with new tiles of similar make
and quality.
In the severely damaged gutter areas, the
timber members were dismantled, replaced
and further laid with water proofing layers of
brick bat coba, G.I sheet and fibre reinforced
bitumen tar felt sheets, finished with lead
sheets. Storm water drains were cleaned up
along with adding new water spouts, that
spewed the water away from the facade.
Dismantling and fixing new members for the roof.
Storing and stacking of the timber sections.
Water proofing with tar felt and G.I sheet.
Battens fixed over the G.I sheets.
The additional water spouts.
The restored roof.

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Images to the right showing the
process repairing the roof- dis-
mantling, laying with waterproof-
ing layers.
Bottom left and middle images
show the roof boarding work
from the interior of the central
roof.
Bottom right image shows the
restoration work of the spire and
the water proofing of the roof.

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Images showing the restoration work of the central tower roof.

20. 20
Structural Restoration of verandahs
Running along the west and east, the ve-
randah floor slabs have had to face severe
damages due to constant and very heavy
monsoons over the years.
While dismantling the floor tiles, boardings
and rafters, it was noticed the entire length of
the rafter, was embedded in lime coba slab
above it. Both ends of the rafters was em-
bedded in the walls, one interior wall and the
other was the exterior baluster wall. This detail
caused all the possible deterioration as the
length of the rafter was constantly exposed
to moisture from the lime slab, while the ends
were also exposed to moisture from the walls.
After multiple investigations, the consultants
proposed a different detail of construction.
The load bearing capacity of the rafters was
increased by fixing additional 8mm thick
M.S plates, over each rafter. The teak wood
boarding was placed over the rafters and
R.C.C. slabs were to be cast over it. While
restoring the rafters, the ends were coated
with a layer of Black Japan and polythene
sheets and then embedded in the walls. The
boarding too were coated with bitumen to
reduce the impact of moisture exposure on
the wooden sections and thus increasing the
life of the all the members.
These steps were undertaken while retaining
the original aesthetics of the slabs. All dam-
aged timber members were removed and
maximum possible salvaged material reused
wherever possible. The salvaged material too
had an organised way to be stacked, stored
and used.
Terrace water proofing
In order to repair the flat terraces, multiple
layers of waterproofing had to be disman-
tled, the damaged rafters replaced, fixed
boarding over it. This was followed by a layer
of brick bat coba and reinforced bitumen tar
felt. After providing for necessary slopes, it was
finished with a cement mortar layer mixed
with waterproofing agents.
The flat terrace adjacent to the Central Tow-
er, facing the Oval Maidaan was different
from the remaining terraces. While disman-
tling the lime coba we discovered 6” thick
limestone slabs placed over the teak wood
boardings of the slab below as an additional
build-up layer. These slabs were in excellent
condition and dismantling was not recom-
mended by the consultants. It was hence
decided to directly lay the waterproofing
over the existing slabs and lime coba which
was also in good condition thus retained.
Specialized treatment was carried out to seal
the joints of the original lime coba and the
new brick bat coba layers to avoid any water
seepage.
Images showing the stages of structural consolidation
and terrace water proofing of the flat roof facing the
Oval Maidaan.

21. 21
The fixing of M.S plates over the rafters.
The dismantling of the slab.
The fixing of the rafters with its edges coated in Black
Japan.
Left: The boardings coated with
Black Japan.
Below: Placing of reinforcement
above the black Japan coated
boardings.
Last image below: The casting of
R.C.C slab
Right: Casting of slab in progress.
Right middle: Curing of slab
Right last: Laying of cement tiles.

22. 22
Finishing Works of Verandahs
Once the slabs were cast and structurally
secured, these were to be finished with tiles.
A heritage pattern found within the building
was replicated in cement tiles. Every night
our team worked on fixing the tiles and in the
morning the same were covered with tarpau-
lin sheets and plywood so that public can
continue to walk over it. Once the tiles were
fixed, these were to be polished 7 times with
varying grades of polishing stones and the fi-
nal buffing layer was to be done using special
chemicals. The original encaustic or Minton
flooring found in the judges’ verandahs, were-
only cleaned and not polished, as polishing
would have damaged it further.
Images showing the process of finishing the verandah
floors. Laying, levelling and polishing 7 times to gain a
marble like finish.

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Ceiling Works of Verandahs
Another important part of the finishing works in the verandahs was of polishing the ceiling raft-
ers and boarding. Due to the towering floor to floor height our team had to erect scaffoldings
to access the ceiling level from below to take up the scraping and finishing works. Unlike fixing
the floor tiles, it was not possible to erect the scaffolding at night and dismantle it the next day
in the morning for public use. The ceiling works like scraping off the paint from steel and timber
rafters, painting and polishing them, attaching light fixtures and fans were all thus completed.
Stone wall restoration
Apart from a few cracks there were no major
structural issues in the walls. For restoring these,
Helifix- a special stitching technique was used
in which long helical bars were inserted in
grooves created across the cracks at regular
distances. A specialized team was deployed
for this.
Image above and right showing finished and complete
ceilings with new fans and light fittings.
Images showing restoring the stone facade with Helifix.

24. 24
ered stone surface and original details were
carved out from it.
The recurring corner Ficus were treated using
biocides and then pointing grouted with lime
mortar. The process had to be repeated mul-
tiple times as it recurred.
Considering the sensitivity of material and
work at hand, skilled labour was deployed
and was under constant supervision.
Some stone balustrades had their top railing
member displaced which were fixed back in
place using SS Dowels and pins.
The stone railing of the judges’ lounge had all
its members entirely displaced. This railing as-
sembly was carefully dismantled and re-con-
structed using the same members but with SS
pins for additional supports and anchoring.
Missing pieces were replaced with similar
stone elements procured from the country.
Façade Restoration Works
Due to years of pollution, dust accumulation
and natural weathering, the intricate details in
the facade were dark, stained, chipped and
ugly. Some were also causing minor leakage
into the inner surfaces of the walls.
The continuous basalt façade surfaces were
cleaned with water and surfactants without
damaging the stone surface. In areas with
very strong facade damages and layers of
dust specialised techniques like sand and
copper blasting were used. After cleaning the
façade, the joints in the stone masonry were
carefully re-pointed using lime mortar.
The building has some beautiful column cap-
ital, arches, lancet windows, rose windows,
handrails, columns in Porbunder limestone
that needed repair and restoration. Since it is
a delicate material, these were restored with
multiple techniques like poulticing, gentle
cleaning with mild surfactants. We also car-
ried out very delicate lime plastic repair works
in few areas which involved carefully laying
a thin layer of rich lime mortar over weath-
Pictures showing cleaned, restored stone walls, arches column capitals along the public verandah.
Using misting technique to remove years of dirt, dust
and pollution.
A skilled personnel doing pointing of the stone courses.

25. 25
Some images of restored exteri-
or façades of the buildings.
After stone cleaning.
Before stone cleaning.
A restored corridor.

26. 26
Water fountains, signages and other works
The High Court building has original decora-
tive drinking water fountains in stone in the
public corridors (2 on each floor). These were
defunct and new water coolers were placed
next to them. The consultants proposed re-
charging the drinking water fountains through
a central drinking water system. We were to
restore the damaged stone water fountains.
The fountains were carefully cleaned, missing
sections of stone details replaced or replicat-
ed with new members of the same type, size,
or mixed with stone dust to match the colours.
The inner surface of the sink was finished with
new layer of rich lime mortar to achieve a
smooth surface. New brass taps of heritage
design were specially customised and in-
stalled for these water fountains.
Other verandah works
Lift cages
The lift shafts in the judges’ corridor were
visually chaotic and thus the consultant de-
signed a cladding detail for it. The lift shafts
were cladded with white painted plywood
followed by fixing of 12mm thick toughened
using stainless steel studs. This assembly of
plywood and glass was further finished with
vinyl stickers bearing the print of the pattern of
the original cast iron grill gates present in the
judges’ entrance porch.
Staircase blocks
The spiral staircase blocks had peeling lime
plaster along its curved walls. Some portions
of the original timber handrail too were miss-
ing.
All the loose plaster was dismantled and the
walls were re-plastered with lime mortar. The
missing or damaged wooden handrails were
replaced with new ones of the same type
and carving pattern.
Small tiles, of a pattern similar to the floor tiles,
were to be fixed along the curved walls. The
curved walls were a challenge and fixing de-
manded highly skilled labour. The top of the
tiles was finished with plaster of paris moulding
and were polished to match the finish of the
verandah floor tiles.
The images above shows the water fountain before and
after restoration.
To the left are images of the lift along the judges’ corridor,
before and after restoration.
Extreme left is an image that shows a complete restored
curved staircase with walls re-plastered, missing handrails
fixed, along with new cement tile dado.

27. 27
Judges’ Chambers
The Interior refurbishment works of the Judges’
Chambers was a major component of the
phase II. It required coordination with multiple
people like the honourable judges, their staff,
the court office, the P.W.D engineers and the
consultants. Also, we had to coordinate with
different working agencies like the HVAC,
electrical and data works.
We along with the consultants tried our best
to customise the space design as per the user
requirement.
designed with intricate patterns and minute
details. Similarly, all the chambers and court
rooms were fixed with new signages.
Interior Works
The interior upgradation works of judges’
chambers and public toilets were mainly tak-
en up for 3 reasons,
1. Structural Restoration of damaged sections
due to water seepage
2. Upgrading the existing plumbing to a more
systematic, visually less intrusive system.
3. Consistency in design and revival of the
heritage character
Some original pieces of signages and furniture
had survived in the building. Based on these
original designs, the consultants standardized
the designs for all the public furniture, which
were then replicated on all floors. The original
wooden benches and notice boards were Pictures of restored interiors of the judges’ chambers.
Images on the
left below and
right show the
signage designs
in timber and
glass executed
by us in the High
Court premises.

28. 28
Within the chambers, only toilets had consid-
erable structural damage, thus consolidation
works were done only in these areas following
the same process like the verandahs.
To retain the toilets within the chambers, an
internal duct had to be made. This would help
in organising the plumbing system and clean
the visual clutter. This meant that we take up
the interior refurbishment of chambers that
were one above the other. We eventually did
the plumbing but created temporary diver-
sions till the chamber below/above was taken
up for renovation.
For a holistic upgradation, the furniture, up-
holstery, wall finishes, floor finishes were all to
be redone as per the Neo Gothic style. The
consultants had finalised on cement tiles to
match with the Minton flooring for the cham-
bers and a checkered pattern of white and
black marble, for the toilets. The chamber
and toilet also had an intricate wooden rail
and skirting detail for the walls. Restoring heritage furniture.
A toilet in a
judge’s chamber.
A restored Bar council room.
A restored Judges’ Chamber.
Restored furniture.
Restoring heritage furniture.

29. 29
Ancillary Works
The public entrance to the High court lies
along the east of the site behind the HSBC
bank office. This side had two linear two storey
R.C.C buildings; one to the south had the
canteen block and one to the north had a
few garages, an ATM, a tea stall and some
offices on the first floor. Along the back of the
northern building was a walkway connecting
the High court and the P.W.D building.
These buildings hid the eastern façade of the
heritage building. Further, it did not match
with the language of the complex. After real-
ising these sensitive issues our team was given
the job to demolish these structure and build
a new canteen block, a covered walkway,
compound wall and security bunkers.
The compound wall design was to replicate
the western side, base of which would be in
stone masonry installed with M.S grill over the
base.
The original details were largely compromised
upon. Packing up the fan lights, replacing the
shutters with plywood and laminated doors,
missing fixtures, broken glass infill layers of
paint, were a common site. The damaged
door parts were carefully dismantled and
replaced with new members. Salvage mate-
rial from roof boardings were used at places.
Further, a specialized team carefully scraped
off all layers of paint and finished with new
thin layers of polish with natural finish. All the
missing fixtures were replaced like the original.
Public Toilet Works
The public toilets in the building are located
in the extreme north and south corners of the
public corridors on each floor. Heavy seep-
age has caused major structural concern.
Like all other areas the slabs of the toilet slabs
were taken up for structural consolidation/
re-construction after which the interior works
of the toilets were done. The interiors of the
public toilets were kept similar in design with
river washed kadappa flooring and green
marble dado.
Door Works
The door openings had a specific design,
capped with a timber and glass fan light in
the judges’ corridor and an intricately carved
timber fanlight in the public corridor, each
opening has two shutters opening inside and
two shutter opening outside with a common
door frame attached with parliamentary
hinges. The double shutters that open outside
have timber bracing with glass infill and the
double shutters opening inside are two pan-
elled with open-able louvres.
The newly made covered walkway from the High Court
building to the P.W.D building. The image also shows the
compound walls with grills.
Design of the fan light samples from the public veran-
dah side.
A restored door. Restored public toilet.

30. 30
Security Bunkers
The security bunkers were made of sand bags
with G.I corrugated roofs. The bunkers were
dismantled, new framework of M.S columns
and wooden roofing members with manga-
lore tiled roof were erected and the bund
walls were constructed in stone masonry simi-
lar to the compound walls.
Roof Restoration of P.W.D Building & An-
nexe Building
Our team was also appointed to carry out the
roof restoration works of P.W.D building and of
the annexe building. The process of restora-
tion was followed similar to the main building.
Museum Works
Another prestigious works that was awarded
to Savani Construction was setting up a Mu-
seum within the Bombay High Court premises.
It was setup in Room No. 14 on the ground
floor which required basic restoration works.
Our team took up civil restoration of the works
including lime plaster of walls; scraping and
polishing of ceiling rafters and boarding along
with restoration and polishing of existing doors
and windows. Existing floor tiles were disman-
tled and floor was levelled before finishing
with heritage pattern cement tiles. The interior
works involved extensive timber panelling of
walls with well-seasoned teak wood.
Also, as per the design our team had carved
out various emblems out of single piece teak
wood planks to be fixed at the top of the wall
panelling. Customised furniture like replicating
The covered walkway between P.W.D and
Main Building
Behind this compound wall a new covered
walkway was designed. The walkway has
timber cladded M.S columns, timber rafters
and mangalore tiled roof. The flooring of the
walkway was paved with 4”by 4” basalt stone
blocks. The small patch between the walkway
and compound wall was covered with a small
lawn.
Canteen Block
A new ground storey canteen block with
pitched mangalore tiled roof and stone walls
was constructed instead of the existing R.C.C
block. The roof was fabricated using well-sea-
soned Burma teak wood members with man-
galore tiled finish. The walls were made in
large stone slabs specially procured and hand
dressed individually by skilled workers. The
canteen furniture was replaced with newly
designed wooden benches and tables.
Constructing the canteen block.
The new canteen block with benches, tables and roof.
Timber roof over the new canteen building block. Constructing the security bunkers.

31. 31
A view of the museum interiors completely restored by
Savani Construction; cement tiles as per heritage pat-
tern, restored walls, ceiling new panelling,displays etc.
The new exhibition panel, wall panelling and flooring in
the museum.
A view of the door restoration, flooring, ceiling rafters
and complete civil restoration works of the museum.
Left:
Timber Chairs
with the em-
blems carved
at the head.
Right:
The traditional
court diora-
ma.

32. 32
a special diorama of dais, witness box etc to
replicate the traditional court scenes, artefact
display cases, information panels, artefacts
pedestals were all fabricated and installed by
us. Best quality teak wood was used to match
the existing heritage designs of furniture found
within High Court premises and as directed by
the consultant.
The Museum was inaugurated by the Hon’ble
Prime Minister of our Country which was an-
other proud moment for our team.
Top Image: The diorama of a traditional court with a
scaled model of the Bombay High Court in the museum.
Bottom: Customised Display case.

33. 33
In retrospect
The restoring works at the Bombay High court
brought to the forefront an almost endless
number of challenges in all aspects of our
expertise. Be it time, space, material, skill, la-
bour or the number of consultants and stake-
holders. Yet, the satisfaction the decade long
project gives, surpasses all the work we have
done so far. We continue getting assertive
and positive feedback from the users till this
date.
Projects like these have reinforced our faith
in being the ‘जीर्णोद्धारक’ (In Sanskrit means
‘Restoring the lost Glory’.)
We at Savani Constructions vow to continue
our rigour towards bringing Mumbai to its lost
glory, one building at a time.

34. Savani Heritage Conservation Pvt. Ltd
Bldg. No. 8, 2nd Floor, Rajbahadur Mansion,
Ambalal Doshi MargBehind Bombay Stock Exchange
Fort, Mumbai 400023
Email: info@savaniheritage.com, savaniheritage@gmail.com
Phone: 022 22615442 / 022 2261 5445
+91 93245 46378